The lost art of shipping a video game

[Warmsignal]

It gets to be a headache, especially when buying from sellers on eBay who are not gamers. In my day, I've terrible luck with the methods in which sellers like to ship games that come in jewel cases or oversized jewel cases, mostly PlayStation and Sega Saturn / CD. They show up in a bubble mailer, freshly crushed, plastic shards spilling out of the package. A pity too, when you can tell they were in excellent shape.

I think common sense would tell you a bubble mailer is inefficient to mail a jewel case in, it's no match for the United States Postal Service. It's too bridle, it's like mailing glassware in a grocery bag. I think eBay should force users to into a tutorial about mailing items like games, then quiz them. If they can't pass the shipping quiz, they should be disallowed to sell games.

Well, now I'm off to figure out where I can find some new clear spine jewel cases! 

[foxhack]

Your local post office must suck. I've only had games get crushed in transit twice in ten years.

[Warmsignal]

Your local post office must suck. I've only had games get crushed in transit twice in ten years.

Every Sega CD game I've ordered, save for a couple that were packaged in a hard box, have arrived damaged in transit. Other non-game related items I've ordered have arrived with damage too. You might be right.

[foxhack]

Your local post office must suck. I've only had games get crushed in transit twice in ten years.

Every Sega CD game I've ordered, save for a couple that were packaged in a hard box, have arrived damaged in transit. Other non-game related items I've ordered have arrived with damage too. You might be right.

Who the hell sends a Sega CD game in a bubble mailer?!

I'm talking about DVD or CD cases. O_o

[bikingjahuty]

Your local post office must suck. I've only had games get crushed in transit twice in ten years.

I second this.

With games that come in standard jewel cases (PS1 and Dreamcast) I have never had a game get crushed inside of a bubble mailer. Saturn games and other hard plastic longbox games are another story. I have always received and sent these in boxes with proper insulation. If you breath on a Sega CD case the wrong way it shatters lol

[Warmsignal]

Your local post office must suck. I've only had games get crushed in transit twice in ten years.

I second this.

With games that come in standard jewel cases (PS1 and Dreamcast) I have never had a game get crushed inside of a bubble mailer. Saturn games and other hard plastic longbox games are another story. I have always received and sent these in boxes with proper insulation. If you breath on a Sega CD case the wrong way it shatters lol

Seems like I spent a whole summer super gluing Sega CD hinges back together. Most all of them I received in the mail came in standard bubble mailers. Anything that is sent in a bubble mailer seems like it was curb stomped by the time I get it. I think my mailman has some anger issues.

IMO, standard jewel cases are just as brittle as the over sized. They might require a bit more deliberate carelessness to break for their size, but it's easily done.

[burningdoom]

I've had a had a guy use a printed piece of paper folded around a game, labeled it, and mailed it to me on a trading site once. That's got to be the worst one.

Not only that, but the game had what looked to be a post-it note on it that was glued on and not coming off without significant ugly-tearing remains; which he never mentioned. Bad trade all around. When I confronted him about it, he simply replied "I consider it in "very good condition" as long as it works".

But that's the risk you take buying or trading online. Unfortunately to get the games most of the collectors like us want, it's almost essential to buy online at times.

Personally, I ALWAYS use either a bubble-mailer or bubble-wrap. Even if it's too awkwardly shaped for those methods, I find cushioning of some sort, still, even it's just a bunch of wadded-up plastic bags.

[foxhack]

I've had a had a guy use a printed piece of paper folded around a game, labeled it, and mailed it to me on a trading site once. That's got to be the worst one.

Not only that, but the game had what looked to be a post-it note on it that was glued on and not coming off without significant ugly-tearing remains; which he never mentioned. Bad trade all around. When I confronted him about it, he simply replied "I consider it in "very good condition" as long as it works".

But that's the risk you take buying or trading online. Unfortunately to get the games most of the collectors like us want, it's almost essential to buy online at times.

Personally, I ALWAYS use either a bubble-mailer or bubble-wrap. Even if it's too awkwardly shaped for those methods, I find cushioning of some sort, still, even it's just a bunch of wadded-up plastic bags.

Crap condition and a printed up label? Sounds like something a typical Goozex user would ship out.

[MJMaranan]

Maybe if a certain amount of buyers have reported cases, pun somewhat intended, of damaged items that the seller is shipping inappropriately would eBay probably take measures.  Although, I believe this is still between the buyer and the merchant.

[thecrypticodor]

I guess I've been lucky but I never had a problem with shipping crush damage. Just about every Saturn game I've obtained has been through the mail and never a single crack or broken hinge. What does happens to me from time to time is the disc inside a DVD style case will pop loose during shipment and slide around in the box sometimes causing scratches.

[badATchaos]

Aggggg I know what you mean. I just got a Game & Watch in the mail today and the seller shipped it in one of those bubble-wrap envelopes! I can see anything that's in standard dvd case, but a Game & Watch?!

[burningdoom]

Aggggg I know what you mean. I just got a Game & Watch in the mail today and the seller shipped it in one of those bubble-wrap envelopes! I can see anything that's in standard dvd case, but a Game & Watch?!

I don't know, I think a bubble-mailer would be find for that. What did you expect it to be shipped in?

[badATchaos]

A small box

[burningdoom]

Personally, I think a bubble-mailer is fine. If it's still damaged after that, it's definitely the post office's fault, not the mailer's. A Game & Watch is a nice flat shape, it's not awkwardly shaped or anything. Not to sound rude, but to me that sounds like a collector being a bit too nitpicky.

I mean I've seen horror stories with shipping. I already mentioned the piece of printing paper wrapped around one game. I've also had games shipped to me in a normal letter envelope. I even had a Sega Genesis game shipped to me in it's own game case, they just turned the artwork around and wrote the addresses on that. Those types of things are bad shipping.

[turf]

Game & Watches aren't cheap. They aren't super-sturdy either. If I got one in a bubble mailer, I'd be PISSED.